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  • MIL-OSI: Certified FIND MINING Launches the Best Free AI Cloud Mining Service for BTC, DOGE, XRP and Other Popular Cryptocurrency Enthusiasts

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Potomac, Maryland, July 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As global interest in crypto asset investment continues to heat up, more and more investors are beginning to pay attention to a core issue: How to make the digital currency in your hands not only “lying in your wallet” but also creating a stable cash flow? As one of the world’s leading intelligent cloud mining platforms, FIND MINING is using clean energy mines covering the world and safe and transparent cloud mining solutions to provide new answers for fans of tokens such as Bitcoin (BTC), Dogecoin (DOGE) and Ripple (XRP).

    FIND MINING is the world’s leading intelligent cloud mining service provider, committed to enabling every crypto asset holder in the world to easily obtain sustainable passive income through green energy, efficient computing power and smart contracts.

    Features of FIND MINING

    FIND MINING adheres to the concept of “making every digital asset continue to appreciate” and provides users of every level with a safe, efficient and truly profitable mining experience. Its main features include:

    Military-grade security protection
    The platform integrates McAfee® and Cloudflare® dual security technologies to comprehensively protect user data and mining activities and effectively defend against network threats.

    Zero management fee, 100% profit transparency
    Different from the common hidden charges in the industry, FIND MINING adheres to the policy of no management fees. All income is clearly traceable and users’ income is under their control.

    Stable operation, full escort
    100% uptime guarantee and 24/7 multilingual technical support ensure continuous stable mining and uninterrupted profits.

    Flexible mining of multiple currencies
    It supports more than 13 mainstream cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, etc. Users can freely choose mining targets based on market dynamics.

    Immediate income, easy start
    New users can enjoy a $15 bonus upon registration and receive a basic income of $0.6 per day. No upfront investment is required and you can start your mining journey with just one click.

    FIND MINING lowers the industry threshold through technological innovation, allowing every user to easily participate in digital asset mining and share the dividends of blockchain development.

    How to start using FIND MINING to start free AI cloud mining

    FIND MINING provides you with a simple cloud mining experience. You can easily start in just three steps:

    Step 1: Choose a reliable cloud mining platform

    FIND MINING offers a $15 free mining plan, allowing you to easily participate without purchasing expensive hardware. The plan earns a stable $0.60 passive income every day, with zero cost and zero risk, making it an ideal choice for beginners.

    Step 2: Quick registration, instant activation

    All you need is an email address to complete the registration process, which takes less than a minute. After successful registration, you will immediately receive a $15 registration bonus and enter the intuitive mining dashboard to view your earnings at any time.

    Step 3: Flexibly choose mining contracts

    FIND MINING provides a variety of contract options to suit different investment needs. All contracts guarantee fixed income and transparent returns, ensuring that you can achieve stable and predictable daily mining income, transparent, safe, efficient and profitable mining experience

    • basic computing power：Investment amount: $100, contract period: 2 days, daily income: $4.0, maturity income: $100 + $8
    • Stable computing power ：Investment amount: $500, contract period: 5 days, daily income: $6.5, maturity income: $500 + $32.5
    • prime Hashrate：Investment amount: $2,699, contract period: 20 days, daily income: $42.9, maturity income: $2,699 + $755.72
    • Advanced computing power：Investment amount: $5,000, contract period: 25 days, daily income: $75, maturity income: $5,000 + $1,875
    • High-quality computing power：Investment amount: $12,000, contract period: 37 days, daily income: $205.2, maturity income: $10,000 + $7,592.4
    • BTC Avalon Super Computing Power：Investment amount: $50,000, Contract duration: 29 days, Daily income: $925, Expiration income: $50,000 + $26,825
    • BTC Hyper Hash Engine：Investment amount: $135,000, Contract duration: 50 days, Daily return: $2,925, Expiration return: $135,000 + $135,000
       

    FIND MINING provides a variety of mining contracts. Each contract provides differentiated profit plans based on computing power value, investment amount and operation period. For more contracts, please visit https://findmining.com

    Why FIND MINING has become the world’s top cloud mining platform

    As the world’s leading new energy computing power platform, FINDMINING provides sustainable crypto asset returns to global users.

    Since its establishment, FINDMINING has deployed more than 135 advanced data centers in Europe, North America and Asia, widely using renewable energy such as wind and solar energy, truly achieving a dual balance between low-carbon environmental protection and efficient computing power. The platform service covers 175 countries and regions, with more than 9.4 million registered users worldwide, and continues to provide global users with a stable and traceable source of passive income from cryptocurrency.

    The Simplicity of FIND MINING

    The world’s top cloud mining platform provides easy access and user-friendly interface to users around the world, ensuring that even if you are a crypto novice, you can easily navigate and easily earn very impressive passive income every day.

    Easy mining, worry-free profits

    FIND MINING takes care of all technical aspects for you – from professional mining machine operation and maintenance to energy cost optimization, completely eliminating the trouble of equipment maintenance and power management. You only need to focus on revenue growth, and we will provide you with a simple and efficient mining experience with professional technical guarantees, so that every investment can get the maximum return.

    Will FIND MINING become the next industry trend in the cryptocurrency field?

    The rapid rise of FIND MINING marks a profound change in the way people participate in cryptocurrency mining, and is expected to lead the industry into a new stage. The following core advantages may make FIND MINING the next industry benchmark in the field of cryptocurrency mining:

    1. Compliance certification, safe and reliable
      As a platform approved by regulators, FIND MINING has solid guarantees in terms of legality and security, effectively solving the trust and compliance issues that have plagued cloud mining for many years and providing users with a more reliable mining environment.
    2. Green and sustainable, in line with the trend of the times
      FIND MINING significantly reduces the reliance on traditional high-energy consumption mining models through energy-saving and efficient cloud mining solutions, helps reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment, meets the new demands of global investors for sustainable development, and is an ideal choice under the concept of environmental protection.
    3. High adoption rate and huge market potential
      As more and more individual and institutional investors seek to obtain sustainable passive income through cloud mining, FIND MINING is expected to gain wider market recognition and user growth in the coming years with its convenient and easy-to-use services and stable returns.
    4. Low threshold, high return, outstanding competitiveness
      Unlike traditional mining, which requires expensive mining machine purchases, site construction, and electricity consumption, FIND MINING provides users with a more cost-effective mining alternative through a cloud mining solution with a low threshold and no hardware investment, helping more people share mining benefits with lower risks.

    Final Thoughts

    The innovative cloud mining model advocated by FIND MINING is reshaping the cryptocurrency mining industry, making this field more convenient, safe and sustainable. With zero-cost entry, stable daily income and friendly operation experience, FIND MINING provides an attractive option for users who want to earn passive income through mainstream currencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Ripple (XRP).

    As the cryptocurrency industry continues to grow and develop, FIND MINING is becoming an important force that cannot be ignored in the cloud mining track, providing a more flexible and efficient alternative to the traditional high-threshold, high-cost mining model. Whether you are a novice user who is new to crypto mining or a senior investor who is looking for low-risk, high-return opportunities, FIND MINING is worth considering and may become the next potential project in the cryptocurrency field.

    Download the mobile app：https://findmining.com/xml/index.html#/app

    Visit the official website：https://findmining.com

    Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is for reference only and does not constitute an investment invitation, financial advice, or trade recommendation. Cryptocurrency mining and staking involve risks and may result in financial losses. We strongly recommend conducting thorough due diligence and consulting professional financial advisors before engaging in cryptocurrency or securities investments and trades.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: BTC Mine’s free cloud mining mobile app allows you to enjoy daily passive income at any time

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    London, UK, July 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BTC Miner is a free cloud mining platform based in London, UK, providing a secure cryptocurrency mining solution with no maintenance, no equipment, and no experience required. It provides mining services for multiple currencies such as Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Litecoin, etc. The company is pleased to announce the launch of a new mobile app. The timely release of the app enables users to access and manage their cloud mining investments anytime and anywhere, further promoting the democratization of cryptocurrency mining.

    BTC Miner is a modern cloud mining platform that takes care of everything for you. Instead of placing noisy machines at home or working as an electrician, you rent computing power from BTC Miner’s high-tech global data centers. Say goodbye to the trouble of overheating equipment and searching for technical support on forums. With BTC Miner, you don’t have to install anything. They run powerful mining equipment in top-notch facilities with industrial-grade cooling and security. Everything is hands-off – you just log in to the control panel to see your daily income accumulate. They do all the actual mining for you, while you just watch your Bitcoin balance grow. Earn passive income.
    BTC Miner allows you to earn Bitcoin every day – without having to buy, maintain, or even touch any hardware. It’s like hiring a professional to work on your farm while you relax and enjoy the harvest.

    How to start mining in minutes?
    BTC Miner’s process is so simple that anyone can get started:

    Free registration
    Visit the website https://btcminer.net enter your email address and create an account to get an immediate $500 bonus.

    Every new user will receive a $500 cloud mining bonus upon registration, without the need to deposit or bind a bank card. These funds can be used immediately to purchase contracts and start making daily profits.

    Choose a contract
    Choose the right contract type – flexible terms and transparent profitability.

    Automatic mining
    Once the contract is activated, the system will automatically start mining – no action required.

    Daily accumulated earnings
    Earnings are calculated every 24 hours and displayed in real time in the dashboard.

    Online contracts, no equipment required

    No software installation or technical experience required
    High-performance mining farms around the world operate 24/7
    Earnings are automatically credited to your account – truly “easy money”

    The platform supports a variety of crypto assets: BTC, ETH, USDT (ERC-20 and TRC-20), LTC, XRP, SOL, BCH, USDC, etc. This provides flexibility for global investors.

    This is a unique opportunity to experience the real benefits of mining without investing. The earnings are yours, and all expenses are borne by the platform. This is an ideal choice for beginners – no risk, no pressure.

    Don’t forget to share your exclusive link to open an additional source of income!

    BTC Miner Affiliate Program: Double your income and expand your business
    The platform uses a two-level referral system to allow you to earn passive income:
    Direct invitation: 7%
    Indirect (second-level referral): 2%
    The more people you invite, the higher your income. There is no commission limit. No need to upgrade your account or perform any complex operations – just share the link to get rewards. This is the real “recommended income”.

    Cloud Mining: A New Model for Cryptocurrency Income
    More and more investors are realizing that cloud mining is a more efficient and convenient way to earn cryptocurrency. It eliminates technical barriers and risks, giving everyone the opportunity to participate.

    Advantages of BTC Miner:
    – Officially registered in the UK, legally operated
    – Automated system, stable operation 24/7
    – Welcome bonus, daily distribution and affiliate program – triple income source

    Summary: Join the cloud mining revolution
    BTC Miner has changed the way cryptocurrency earns: no trading, no technical knowledge, no equipment – just register, activate the contract, and you can earn money every day. Want to earn Bitcoin income with zero risk? BTC Miner is the best choice to passive income.

    Get a $500 cloud mining reward now and start earning!

    Visit the official website: https://btcminer.net/ or download the BTC Mining mobile app to join the cloud mining revolution. With this new mobile app, managing your cryptocurrency investments will be easier and safer than ever before.
    If you have any questions, please email: info@btcminer.net

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: ”Early Testing Saves Lives,” First Lady stresses at Free Health Screening for vulnerable group

    Source: APO


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    First Lady, Mrs. Lordina Dramani Mahama, on Friday, addressed beneficiaries at a comprehensive free public health screening event, emphasising the vital importance of early testing and proactive health management, especially for vulnerable populations within the community.

    The event, a collaboration between the Office of the First Lady and the Ghana AIDS Commission, provided essential health services to various community members, including hairdressers, tailors, head-porters (kayayee), and market women.

    Addressing the gathering, Mrs. Mahama underscored the purpose of the outreach. “We are here for a very important reason. For the health of our people, especially young people, women, and vulnerable groups in our communities,” she stated. “We aim to raise awareness, offer free check-ups, provide medical advice and counselling, and help more people take care of their health.”

    The First Lady said many people may be living with serious health conditions without realising it, making such screening exercises essential.

    “Sometimes, people are living with these conditions and do not even know it. That is why today’s health screening is very important,” she explained. “It provides an opportunity to get tested free of charge, know about their health, and take the necessary steps to maintain their health.”

    She stressed the life-saving potential of early detection. “Early testing saves lives. Knowing your health status early enables you to start treatment early and prevent serious complications. Testing early can also help us to protect our loved ones.”

    “For example, when people living with HIV get to know their status early, they can receive the right care and support, which will make them live long and healthy lives. But this can only happen if you get tested.”

    The free health services provided at the event included HIV and syphilis screening, BMI and nutrition counselling, blood pressure checks and assessments for other medical conditions, and breast cancer screening.

    Beneficiaries received awareness training on HIV/AIDS preventive measures and the importance of early antenatal care to prevent mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy.

    Directing her message towards the younger generation present, the First Lady called for greater health consciousness. “I want to address the young people here directly. You are the future of this country. Your energy, your dreams and your well-being matter,” she said.
    “However, many young people today are falling ill, sometimes due to a lack of access to the right information, services, or support they need. That must change. And it starts with talking openly to people who can help you, and by having a medical check at least once a year.”

    She encouraged attendees to take full advantage of the services offered free of charge. “Today, you can check your HIV status, your blood pressure and sugar levels, and even be screened for breast cancer, right here at this event, all for free… I therefore encourage you all to take advantage of these services. Feel free to ask any questions that come to mind. We are here for you.”

    Mrs. Mahama also highlighted broader government efforts aimed at improving access to and outcomes in healthcare. She mentioned the recently launched Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as MahamaCares.

    “When this fund is fully operational, it will bring relief to many people suffering from non-communicable diseases,” she noted, adding that it will help diagnose and treat conditions like heart illnesses, kidney disease, and various cancers.

    She also referenced the upcoming Free Primary Healthcare Programme, which she said will “enhance awareness of the health status of our citizens and contribute to disease prevention.”

    “Together, we can create a Ghana where every person knows their health status. Where every pregnant woman gets the care she needs, and where every child is born healthy and free from infection,” she stated

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The Rainbow Warrior saga. Part 2: Nuclear refugees in the Pacific – the evacuation of Rongelap

    COMMENTARY:  By Eugene Doyle

    On the last voyage of the Rainbow Warrior prior to its sinking by French secret agents in Auckland harbour on 10 July 1985 the ship had evacuated the entire population of 320 from Rongelap in the Marshall Islands.

    After conducting dozens of above-ground nuclear explosions, the US government had left the population in conditions that suggested the islanders were being used as guinea pigs to gain knowledge of the effects of radiation.

    Cancers, birth defects, and genetic damage ripped through the population; their former fisheries and land are contaminated to this day.

    Denied adequate support from the US – they turned to Greenpeace with an SOS: help us leave our ancestral homeland; it is killing our people. The Rainbow Warrior answered the call.

    Human lab rats or our brothers and sisters?
     Dr Merrill Eisenbud, a physicist in the US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) famously said in 1956 of the Marshall Islanders:  “While it is true that these people do not live, I might say, the way Westerners do, civilised people, it is nevertheless also true that they are more like us than the mice.”

    Dr Eisenbud also opined that exposure “would provide valuable information on the effects of radiation on human beings.”  That research continues to this day.

    A half century of testing nuclear bombs
     Within a year of dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the US moved part of its test programme to the central Pacific.  Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands was used for atmospheric explosions from 1946 with scant regard for the indigenous population.

    In 1954, the Castle Bravo test exploded a 15-megaton bomb —  one thousand times more deadly than the one dropped on Hiroshima.  As a result, the population of Rongelap were exposed to 200 roentgens of radiation, considered life-threatening without medical intervention. And it was.

    Part of the Marshall Islands, with Bikini Atoll and Rongelap in the top left. Image: www.solidarity.co.nz

    Total US tests equaled more than 7000 Hiroshimas.  The Clinton administration released the aptly-named Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE), report in January 1994 in which it acknowledged:

    “What followed was a program by the US government — initially the Navy and then the AEC and its successor agencies — to provide medical care for the exposed population, while at the same time trying to learn as much as possible about the long-term biological effects of radiation exposure. The dual purpose of what is now a DOE medical program has led to a view by the Marshallese that they were being used as ‘guinea pigs’ in a ‘radiation experiment’.

    This impression was reinforced by the fact that the islanders were deliberately left in place and then evacuated, having been heavily radiated. Three years later they were told it was “safe to return” despite the lead scientist calling Rongelap “by far the most contaminated place in the world”.

    Significant compensation paid by the US to the Marshall Islands has proven inadequate given the scale of the contamination.  To some degree, the US has also used money to achieve capture of elite interest groups and secure ongoing control of the islands.

    Entrusted to the US, the Marshall Islanders were treated like the civilians of Nagasaki
     The US took the Marshall Islands from Japan in 1944.  The only “right” it has to be there was granted by the United Nations which in 1947 established the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, to be administered by the United States.

    What followed was an abuse of trust worse than rapists at a state care facility.  Using the very powers entrusted to it to protect the Marshallese, the US instead used the islands as a nuclear laboratory — violating both the letter and spirit of international law.

    Fellow white-dominated countries like Australia and New Zealand couldn’t have cared less and let the indigenous people be irradiated for decades.

    The betrayal of trust by the US was comprehensive and remains so to this day:

    Under Article 76 of the UN Charter, all trusteeship agreements carried obligations. The administering power was required to:

    • Promote the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of the people
    • Protect the rights and well-being of the inhabitants
    • Help them advance toward self-government or independence.

    Under Article VI, the United States solemnly pledged to “Protect the inhabitants against the loss of their lands and resources.”  Very similar to sentiments in New Zealand’s Treaty of Waitangi.  Within a few years the Americans were exploding the biggest nuclear bombs in history over the islands.

    Within a year of the US assuming trusteeship of the islands, another pillar of international law came into effect: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) — which affirms the inherent dignity and equal rights of all humans. Exposing colonised peoples to extreme radiation for weapons testing is a racist affront to this.

    America has a long history of making treaties and fine speeches and then exploiting indigenous peoples.  Last year, I had the sobering experience of reading American military historian Peter Cozzens’ The Earth is Weeping, a history of the “Indian wars” for the American West.

    The past is not dead: the Marshall Islands are a hive of bases, laboratories and missile testing; Americans are also incredibly busy attacking the population in Gaza today.

    Eyes of Fire – the last voyage of the Rainbow Warrior
     Had the French not sunk the Rainbow Warrior after it reached Auckland from the Rongelap evacuation, it would have led a flotilla to protest nuclear testing at Moruroa in French Polynesia.  So the bookends of this article are the abuse of defenceless people in the charge of one nuclear power — the US —  and the abuse of New Zealand and the peoples of French Polynesia by another nuclear power — France.

    Senator Jeton Anjain (left) of Rongelap and Greenpeace campaign coordinator Steve Sawyer on board the Rainbow Warrior . . . challenging the abuse of defenceless people under the charge of one nuclear power. Image: David Robie/Eyes of Fire

    This incredible story, and much more, is the subject of David Robie’s outstanding book Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior, published by Little Island Press, which has been relaunched to mark the 40th anniversary of the French terrorist attack.

    A new prologue by former prime minister Helen Clark and a preface by Greenpeace’s Bunny McDiarmid, along with an extensive postscript which bring us up to the present day, underline why the past is not dead; it’s with us right now.

    Between them, France and the US have exploded more than 300 nuclear bombs in the Pacific. Few people are told this; few people know this.

    Today, a matrix of issues combine — the ongoing effects of nuclear contamination, sea rise imperilling Pacific nations, colonialism still posing immense challenges to people in the Marshall Islands, Kanaky New Caledonia and in many parts of our region.

    Unsung heroes
     Our media never ceases to share the pronouncements of European leaders and news from the US and Europe but the leaders and issues of the Pacific are seldom heard. The heroes of the antinuclear movement should be household names in Australia and New Zealand.

    Vanuatu’s great leader Father Walter Lini; Oscar Temaru, Mayor, later President of French Polynesia; Senator Jeton Anjain, Darlene Keju-Johnson and so many others.

    Do we know them?  Have we heard their voices?

    Jobod Silk, climate activist, said in a speech welcoming the Rainbow Warrior III to Majuro earlier this year:  “Our crusade for nuclear justice intertwines with our fight against the tides.”

    Nuclear-Free and Independent Pacific . . . the Rainbow Warrior taking on board Rongelap islanders ready for their first of four relocation voyages to Mejatto island. Image: David Robie/Eyes of Fire

    Former Tuvalu PM Enele Sapoaga castigated Australia for the AUKUS submarine deal which he said “was crafted in secret by former Prime Minister Scott Morrison with no public discussion.”

    He challenged the bigger regional powers, particularly Australia and New Zealand, to remember that the existential threat faced by Pacific nations comes first from climate change, and reminded New Zealanders of the commitment to keeping the South Pacific nuclear-free.

    Hinamoeura Cross, a Tahitian anti-nuclear activist and politician, said in a 2019 UN speech: “Today, the damage is done. My people are sick. For 30 years we were the mice in France’s laboratory.”

    Until we learn their stories and know their names as well as we know those of Marco Rubio or Keir Starmer, we will remain strangers in our own lands.

    The Pacific owes them, along with the people of Greenpeace, a huge debt.  They put their bodies on the line to stop the aggressors. Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira, killed by the French in 1985, was just one of many victims, one of many heroes.

    A great way to honour the sacrifice of those who stood up for justice, who stood for peace and a nuclear-free Pacific, and who honoured our own national identity would be to buy David Robie’s excellent book.

    You cannot sink a rainbow.

    Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira being welcomed to Rongelap Atoll by a villager in May 1985 barely two months before he was killed by French secret agents during the sabotage of the Rainbow Warrior. Image: David Robie/Eyes of Fire

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Volume 1 of Xi Jinping’s Selected Works on Ecological Civilization has been published /detailed version-1/

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, July 6 (Xinhua) — The first volume of Selected Works on Ecological Civilization by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping was recently released by Zhongyang Wenxian Chubanshe Publishing House and is available nationwide.

    The collection, compiled by the Party History and Documentation Research Institute of the CPC Central Committee, includes 79 of Xi Jinping’s most important and fundamental works on building an ecological civilization that he wrote between December 2012 and April 2025. They include reports, speeches, addresses, directives, and instructions. Some of these works have been published for the first time.

    This publication serves as an authoritative resource for the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups in deeply studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization.

    The publication and dissemination of the new edition is of great significance for the Chinese people to firmly grasp and implement the concept of “green mountains and emerald waters are priceless treasures”, and to support high-quality development through a high-quality ecological environment and comprehensively advance the building of “Beautiful China”. -0-

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China Completes Major Desertification Control Project in Inner Mongolia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    HOHHOT, July 6 (Xinhua) — The construction of an anti-sand belt spanning three deserts in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been completed, marking a major achievement in the country’s efforts to combat desertification.

    Workers on Sunday completed laying the last of the straw-and-grass geogrid as a sand barrier, putting the finishing touches on the final section of a 1,856-km green barrier across the Badain Jaran, Tengger and Ulan Bukh deserts designed to stop further desert advances.

    The three deserts located in Alashan Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, cover a total area of 94,700 square kilometers, accounting for 83.04 percent of the total desert area in the region.

    “We use straw-grass geogrids to stabilize the shifting sand, and then plant drought-resistant plants such as saxaul. This approach helps us establish an effective sand prevention and control system, which ultimately strengthens the ecological barrier,” said Zhang Yuyun, chief engineer of the Alashan Right Banner Forestry and Desertification Control Administration.

    Over the past four decades, Alashan aimag has carried out measures to prevent and combat desertification in an area of almost 100 million mu (6.67 million hectares). The aimag has also created two anti-sand belts with a total length of 460 km and a width of 3 to 20 km along the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert and the southwestern edge of the Ulan-Bukh Desert. -0-

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • PM Modi arrives at Rio Museum to attend BRICS Summit

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday as he arrived to attend the 17th BRICS Leaders Summit.

    The Prime Minister will join other BRICS leaders to deliberate on global issues, including reforms in global governance, peace and security, multilateralism, artificial intelligence, climate change, global health, and economic challenges.

    This is PM Modi’s fourth visit to Brazil. After the two-day Summit, he will travel to Brasília for a State Visit — the first by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly six decades.

    “As a founding member, India remains committed to BRICS as a vital platform for cooperation among emerging economies,” the PM had said earlier this week. “Together, we strive for a more peaceful, equitable, just, democratic, and balanced multipolar world order.”

    On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders.

    The last BRICS Summit, hosted by Russia in Kazan in October 2024, came at a time when the world was grappling with multiple challenges, including conflicts, climate impacts, and cyber threats.

    This year’s Summit holds significance for India as it will assume the BRICS Chairship next year. India last chaired the grouping in 2021, marking its 15th anniversary.

    India has consistently pitched itself as the voice of the Global South, pushing for the interests of developing countries on platforms like BRICS.

    The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘Strengthening Global South Cooperation for Inclusive and Sustainable Governance*. Sunday’s discussions will focus first on reforms in global governance, limited to full members only.

    Talks will then cover peace and security, multilateralism, economic and financial affairs, and the responsible use of AI, followed by an official reception hosted by President Lula.

    On Monday, leaders will meet again to discuss environment issues, COP30, and global health.

    — IANS

  • PM Modi arrives at Rio Museum to attend BRICS Summit

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday as he arrived to attend the 17th BRICS Leaders Summit.

    The Prime Minister will join other BRICS leaders to deliberate on global issues, including reforms in global governance, peace and security, multilateralism, artificial intelligence, climate change, global health, and economic challenges.

    This is PM Modi’s fourth visit to Brazil. After the two-day Summit, he will travel to Brasília for a State Visit — the first by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly six decades.

    “As a founding member, India remains committed to BRICS as a vital platform for cooperation among emerging economies,” the PM had said earlier this week. “Together, we strive for a more peaceful, equitable, just, democratic, and balanced multipolar world order.”

    On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders.

    The last BRICS Summit, hosted by Russia in Kazan in October 2024, came at a time when the world was grappling with multiple challenges, including conflicts, climate impacts, and cyber threats.

    This year’s Summit holds significance for India as it will assume the BRICS Chairship next year. India last chaired the grouping in 2021, marking its 15th anniversary.

    India has consistently pitched itself as the voice of the Global South, pushing for the interests of developing countries on platforms like BRICS.

    The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘Strengthening Global South Cooperation for Inclusive and Sustainable Governance*. Sunday’s discussions will focus first on reforms in global governance, limited to full members only.

    Talks will then cover peace and security, multilateralism, economic and financial affairs, and the responsible use of AI, followed by an official reception hosted by President Lula.

    On Monday, leaders will meet again to discuss environment issues, COP30, and global health.

    — IANS

  • PM Modi arrives at Rio Museum to attend BRICS Summit

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday as he arrived to attend the 17th BRICS Leaders Summit.

    The Prime Minister will join other BRICS leaders to deliberate on global issues, including reforms in global governance, peace and security, multilateralism, artificial intelligence, climate change, global health, and economic challenges.

    This is PM Modi’s fourth visit to Brazil. After the two-day Summit, he will travel to Brasília for a State Visit — the first by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly six decades.

    “As a founding member, India remains committed to BRICS as a vital platform for cooperation among emerging economies,” the PM had said earlier this week. “Together, we strive for a more peaceful, equitable, just, democratic, and balanced multipolar world order.”

    On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders.

    The last BRICS Summit, hosted by Russia in Kazan in October 2024, came at a time when the world was grappling with multiple challenges, including conflicts, climate impacts, and cyber threats.

    This year’s Summit holds significance for India as it will assume the BRICS Chairship next year. India last chaired the grouping in 2021, marking its 15th anniversary.

    India has consistently pitched itself as the voice of the Global South, pushing for the interests of developing countries on platforms like BRICS.

    The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘Strengthening Global South Cooperation for Inclusive and Sustainable Governance*. Sunday’s discussions will focus first on reforms in global governance, limited to full members only.

    Talks will then cover peace and security, multilateralism, economic and financial affairs, and the responsible use of AI, followed by an official reception hosted by President Lula.

    On Monday, leaders will meet again to discuss environment issues, COP30, and global health.

    — IANS

  • PM Modi arrives at Rio Museum to attend BRICS Summit

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday as he arrived to attend the 17th BRICS Leaders Summit.

    The Prime Minister will join other BRICS leaders to deliberate on global issues, including reforms in global governance, peace and security, multilateralism, artificial intelligence, climate change, global health, and economic challenges.

    This is PM Modi’s fourth visit to Brazil. After the two-day Summit, he will travel to Brasília for a State Visit — the first by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly six decades.

    “As a founding member, India remains committed to BRICS as a vital platform for cooperation among emerging economies,” the PM had said earlier this week. “Together, we strive for a more peaceful, equitable, just, democratic, and balanced multipolar world order.”

    On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders.

    The last BRICS Summit, hosted by Russia in Kazan in October 2024, came at a time when the world was grappling with multiple challenges, including conflicts, climate impacts, and cyber threats.

    This year’s Summit holds significance for India as it will assume the BRICS Chairship next year. India last chaired the grouping in 2021, marking its 15th anniversary.

    India has consistently pitched itself as the voice of the Global South, pushing for the interests of developing countries on platforms like BRICS.

    The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘Strengthening Global South Cooperation for Inclusive and Sustainable Governance*. Sunday’s discussions will focus first on reforms in global governance, limited to full members only.

    Talks will then cover peace and security, multilateralism, economic and financial affairs, and the responsible use of AI, followed by an official reception hosted by President Lula.

    On Monday, leaders will meet again to discuss environment issues, COP30, and global health.

    — IANS

  • PM Modi arrives at Rio Museum to attend BRICS Summit

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday as he arrived to attend the 17th BRICS Leaders Summit.

    The Prime Minister will join other BRICS leaders to deliberate on global issues, including reforms in global governance, peace and security, multilateralism, artificial intelligence, climate change, global health, and economic challenges.

    This is PM Modi’s fourth visit to Brazil. After the two-day Summit, he will travel to Brasília for a State Visit — the first by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly six decades.

    “As a founding member, India remains committed to BRICS as a vital platform for cooperation among emerging economies,” the PM had said earlier this week. “Together, we strive for a more peaceful, equitable, just, democratic, and balanced multipolar world order.”

    On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders.

    The last BRICS Summit, hosted by Russia in Kazan in October 2024, came at a time when the world was grappling with multiple challenges, including conflicts, climate impacts, and cyber threats.

    This year’s Summit holds significance for India as it will assume the BRICS Chairship next year. India last chaired the grouping in 2021, marking its 15th anniversary.

    India has consistently pitched itself as the voice of the Global South, pushing for the interests of developing countries on platforms like BRICS.

    The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘Strengthening Global South Cooperation for Inclusive and Sustainable Governance*. Sunday’s discussions will focus first on reforms in global governance, limited to full members only.

    Talks will then cover peace and security, multilateralism, economic and financial affairs, and the responsible use of AI, followed by an official reception hosted by President Lula.

    On Monday, leaders will meet again to discuss environment issues, COP30, and global health.

    — IANS

  • PM Modi arrives at Rio Museum to attend BRICS Summit

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday as he arrived to attend the 17th BRICS Leaders Summit.

    The Prime Minister will join other BRICS leaders to deliberate on global issues, including reforms in global governance, peace and security, multilateralism, artificial intelligence, climate change, global health, and economic challenges.

    This is PM Modi’s fourth visit to Brazil. After the two-day Summit, he will travel to Brasília for a State Visit — the first by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly six decades.

    “As a founding member, India remains committed to BRICS as a vital platform for cooperation among emerging economies,” the PM had said earlier this week. “Together, we strive for a more peaceful, equitable, just, democratic, and balanced multipolar world order.”

    On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders.

    The last BRICS Summit, hosted by Russia in Kazan in October 2024, came at a time when the world was grappling with multiple challenges, including conflicts, climate impacts, and cyber threats.

    This year’s Summit holds significance for India as it will assume the BRICS Chairship next year. India last chaired the grouping in 2021, marking its 15th anniversary.

    India has consistently pitched itself as the voice of the Global South, pushing for the interests of developing countries on platforms like BRICS.

    The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘Strengthening Global South Cooperation for Inclusive and Sustainable Governance*. Sunday’s discussions will focus first on reforms in global governance, limited to full members only.

    Talks will then cover peace and security, multilateralism, economic and financial affairs, and the responsible use of AI, followed by an official reception hosted by President Lula.

    On Monday, leaders will meet again to discuss environment issues, COP30, and global health.

    — IANS

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Mourning period declared to honour the late former Deputy President Mabuza

    Source: Government of South Africa

    Sunday, July 6, 2025

    President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared that the former Deputy President David Dabede Mabuza will be honoured with a State Funeral Category 2 on Saturday, 12 July 2025. 

    Deputy President Mabuza, 64, who served as Deputy President between 2018 and 2023 passed away on Thursday following a short illness.

    In a statement on Sunday, the Presidency said in terms of the State, Official and Provincial Official Funeral Policy Manual of The Presidency, the State Funeral Category 2 is reserved for the Deputy President of the Republic, an Acting President and Former Deputy Presidents.

    The State Funeral Category 2 is conducted with prescribed military ceremonial honours.

    “The funeral of Former Deputy President Mabuza will take place in Mpumalanga. Closer details will be announced in the coming days. 

    “While preparations unfold, President Ramaphosa has declared that days of national mourning be observed from tomorrow, Monday, 07 July 2025, until the evening of Saturday, 12 July.

    “During this period, the National Flag must be flown at half mast at all flag stations around the country,” the Presidency said. 

    President Ramaphosa reiterated his deep condolences to the Mabuza family.

    “The President wishes the family strength as they and the nation reflect on the life of a family member, activist, educator, intellectual and leader in government who contributed greatly to the attainment of freedom and development in our society,” the statement read. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Victims urged not to withdraw gender-based violence cases

    Source: Government of South Africa

    The Portfolio Committee on Community Safety in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature has urged victims of crime, particularly those affected by gender-based violence (GBV), to refrain from withdrawing criminal cases against perpetrators.

    In a statement on Sunday, the Portfolio Committee said this urgent call follows growing concern over a troubling trend that threatens to undermine efforts to combat GBV and ensure justice for victims.

    The committee raised this issue during an oversight visit to the Fochville Police Station on Friday, followed by a stakeholder engagement session at Greenspark Community Hall.

    “During these engagements, the committee was alarmed by a report from the Station Commander indicating that 64 GBV cases had been withdrawn by victims, allowing alleged perpetrators to evade justice and remain a threat within their communities,” the portfolio committee said. 

    According to police reports, these withdrawals are often driven by financial inducements from perpetrators and pressure from families, who encourage victims to “resolve matters privately”. 

    “The committee strongly condemns this practice, warning that it not only places victims at further risk but also undermines the integrity of the criminal justice system. The withdrawal of serious cases such as GBV enables repeat offenses including rape, assault, and even murder.

    “The committee urges communities to stand with victims and allow the law to take its course,” the portfolio committee said. 

    Furthermore, the committee emphasised that this pattern is not isolated to Fochville but is emerging as a province-wide concern, threatening progress in reducing crime and securing justice for survivors.

    “The committee calls on all stakeholders including traditional leaders, community-based organisations, and faith-based institutions to actively educate communities on the importance of reporting GBV and pursuing justice. Victims must be protected and supported, not silenced or coerced,” the statement read. 

    As part of its ongoing Focused Intervention Study on SAPS compliance with the Domestic Violence Act, the Committee will continue to engage stakeholders and monitor police stations across Gauteng to ensure accountability and improved service delivery in the fight against GBV. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: The oldest rocks on Earth are 4.3 billion years old

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Hanika Rizo, Associate Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University

    Earth formed about 4.6 billion years ago, during the geological eon known as the Hadean. The name “Hadean” comes from the Greek god of the underworld, reflecting the extreme heat that likely characterized the planet at the time.

    By 4.35 billion years ago, the Earth might have cooled down enough for the first crust to form and life to emerge.

    However, very little is known about this early chapter in Earth’s history, as rocks and minerals from that time are extremely rare. This lack of preserved geological records makes it difficult to reconstruct what the Earth looked like during the Hadean Eon, leaving many questions about its earliest evolution unanswered.

    We are part of a research team that has confirmed the oldest known rocks on Earth are located in northern Québec. Dating back 4.3 billion years, these rocks provide a rare and invaluable glimpse into the origins of our planet.

    Geologists Jonathan O’Neil and Chris Sole examine rocks in northern Québec.
    (H. Rizo), CC BY

    Remains from the Hadean Eon

    The Hadean Eon is the first period in the geological timescale, spanning from Earth’s formation 4.6 billion years ago and ending around 4.03 billion years ago.

    The oldest terrestrial materials ever dated by scientists are extremely rare zircon minerals that were discovered in western Australia. These zircons were formed as early as 4.4 billion years ago, and while their host rock eroded away, the durability of zircons allowed them to be preserved for a long time.

    Studies of these zircon minerals has given us clues about the Hadean environment, and the formation and evolution of Earth’s oldest crust. The zircons’ chemistry suggests that they formed in magmas produced by the melting of sediments deposited at the bottom of an ancient ocean. This suggests that the zircons are evidence that the Hadean Eon cooled rapidly, and liquid water oceans were formed early on.

    Other research on the Hadean zircons suggests that the Earth’s earliest crust was mafic (rich in magnesium and iron). Until recently, however, the existence of that crust remained to be confirmed.

    In 2008, a study led by associate professor Jonathan O’Neil (then a McGill University doctoral student) proposed that rocks of this ancient crust had been preserved in northern Québec and were the only known vestige of the Hadean.

    Since then, the age of those rocks — found in the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt — has been controversial and the subject of ongoing scientific debate.

    The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt in northern Québec.
    (H. Rizo), CC BY

    ‘Big, old solid rock’

    The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt is located in the northernmost region of Québec, in the Nunavik region above the 55th parallel. Most of the rocks there are metamorphosed volcanic rocks, rich in magnesium and iron. The most common rocks in the belt are called the Ujaraaluk rocks, meaning “big old solid rock” in Inuktitut.

    The age of 4.3 billion years was proposed after variations in neodymium-142 were detected, an isotope produced exclusively during the Hadean through the radioactive decay of samarium-146. The relationship between samarium and neodymium isotope abundances had been previously used to date meteorites and lunar rocks, but before 2008 had never been applied to Earth rocks.

    This interpretation, however, was challenged by several research groups, some of whom studied zircons within the belt and proposed a younger age of at most 3.78 billion years, placing the rocks in the Archean Eon instead.

    Confirming the Hadean Age

    In the summer of 2017, we returned to the Nuvvuagittuq belt to take a closer look at the ancient rocks. This time, we collected intrusive rocks — called metagabbros — that cut across the Ujaraaluk rock formation, hoping to obtain independent age constraints. The fact that these newly studied metagabbros are in intrusion in the Ujaraaluk rocks implies that the latter must be older.

    The project was led by masters student Chris Sole at the University of Ottawa, who joined us in the field. Back in the laboratory, we collaborated with French geochronologist Jean-Louis Paquette. Additionally, two undergraduate students — David Benn (University of Ottawa) and Joeli Plakholm (Carleton University) participated to the project.

    We combined our field observations with petrology, geochemistry, geochronology and applied two independent samarium-neodymium age dating methods, dating techniques used to assess the absolute ages of magmatic rocks, before these become metamorphic rocks. Both assessments yielded the same result: the intrusive rocks are 4.16 billion years old.

    Sunset at the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt.
    (H. Rizo), CC BY

    The oldest rocks

    Since these metagabbros cut across the Ujaraaluk formation, the Ujaraaluk rocks must be even older, placing them firmly in the Hadean Eon.

    Studying the Nuvvuagittuq rocks, the only preserved rocks from the Hadean, provides a unique opportunity to learn about the earliest history of our planet. They can help us understand how the first continents formed, and how and when Earth’s environment evolved to become habitable.

    Hanika Rizo receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

    Jonathan O’Neil receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. The oldest rocks on Earth are 4.3 billion years old – https://theconversation.com/the-oldest-rocks-on-earth-are-4-3-billion-years-old-259657

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: The oldest rocks on Earth are 4.3 billion years old

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Hanika Rizo, Associate Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University

    Earth formed about 4.6 billion years ago, during the geological eon known as the Hadean. The name “Hadean” comes from the Greek god of the underworld, reflecting the extreme heat that likely characterized the planet at the time.

    By 4.35 billion years ago, the Earth might have cooled down enough for the first crust to form and life to emerge.

    However, very little is known about this early chapter in Earth’s history, as rocks and minerals from that time are extremely rare. This lack of preserved geological records makes it difficult to reconstruct what the Earth looked like during the Hadean Eon, leaving many questions about its earliest evolution unanswered.

    We are part of a research team that has confirmed the oldest known rocks on Earth are located in northern Québec. Dating back 4.3 billion years, these rocks provide a rare and invaluable glimpse into the origins of our planet.

    Geologists Jonathan O’Neil and Chris Sole examine rocks in northern Québec.
    (H. Rizo), CC BY

    Remains from the Hadean Eon

    The Hadean Eon is the first period in the geological timescale, spanning from Earth’s formation 4.6 billion years ago and ending around 4.03 billion years ago.

    The oldest terrestrial materials ever dated by scientists are extremely rare zircon minerals that were discovered in western Australia. These zircons were formed as early as 4.4 billion years ago, and while their host rock eroded away, the durability of zircons allowed them to be preserved for a long time.

    Studies of these zircon minerals has given us clues about the Hadean environment, and the formation and evolution of Earth’s oldest crust. The zircons’ chemistry suggests that they formed in magmas produced by the melting of sediments deposited at the bottom of an ancient ocean. This suggests that the zircons are evidence that the Hadean Eon cooled rapidly, and liquid water oceans were formed early on.

    Other research on the Hadean zircons suggests that the Earth’s earliest crust was mafic (rich in magnesium and iron). Until recently, however, the existence of that crust remained to be confirmed.

    In 2008, a study led by associate professor Jonathan O’Neil (then a McGill University doctoral student) proposed that rocks of this ancient crust had been preserved in northern Québec and were the only known vestige of the Hadean.

    Since then, the age of those rocks — found in the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt — has been controversial and the subject of ongoing scientific debate.

    The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt in northern Québec.
    (H. Rizo), CC BY

    ‘Big, old solid rock’

    The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt is located in the northernmost region of Québec, in the Nunavik region above the 55th parallel. Most of the rocks there are metamorphosed volcanic rocks, rich in magnesium and iron. The most common rocks in the belt are called the Ujaraaluk rocks, meaning “big old solid rock” in Inuktitut.

    The age of 4.3 billion years was proposed after variations in neodymium-142 were detected, an isotope produced exclusively during the Hadean through the radioactive decay of samarium-146. The relationship between samarium and neodymium isotope abundances had been previously used to date meteorites and lunar rocks, but before 2008 had never been applied to Earth rocks.

    This interpretation, however, was challenged by several research groups, some of whom studied zircons within the belt and proposed a younger age of at most 3.78 billion years, placing the rocks in the Archean Eon instead.

    Confirming the Hadean Age

    In the summer of 2017, we returned to the Nuvvuagittuq belt to take a closer look at the ancient rocks. This time, we collected intrusive rocks — called metagabbros — that cut across the Ujaraaluk rock formation, hoping to obtain independent age constraints. The fact that these newly studied metagabbros are in intrusion in the Ujaraaluk rocks implies that the latter must be older.

    The project was led by masters student Chris Sole at the University of Ottawa, who joined us in the field. Back in the laboratory, we collaborated with French geochronologist Jean-Louis Paquette. Additionally, two undergraduate students — David Benn (University of Ottawa) and Joeli Plakholm (Carleton University) participated to the project.

    We combined our field observations with petrology, geochemistry, geochronology and applied two independent samarium-neodymium age dating methods, dating techniques used to assess the absolute ages of magmatic rocks, before these become metamorphic rocks. Both assessments yielded the same result: the intrusive rocks are 4.16 billion years old.

    Sunset at the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt.
    (H. Rizo), CC BY

    The oldest rocks

    Since these metagabbros cut across the Ujaraaluk formation, the Ujaraaluk rocks must be even older, placing them firmly in the Hadean Eon.

    Studying the Nuvvuagittuq rocks, the only preserved rocks from the Hadean, provides a unique opportunity to learn about the earliest history of our planet. They can help us understand how the first continents formed, and how and when Earth’s environment evolved to become habitable.

    Hanika Rizo receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

    Jonathan O’Neil receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. The oldest rocks on Earth are 4.3 billion years old – https://theconversation.com/the-oldest-rocks-on-earth-are-4-3-billion-years-old-259657

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Parental controls on children’s tech devices are out of touch with child’s play

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sara M. Grimes, Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy and Professor, McGill University

    Parenting in the digital age can be stressful and demands a lot from parents.

    The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) recently released its annual Online Safety Survey that discovered almost 50 per cent of parents surveyed aren’t using parental controls to manage their children’s devices. These are tools that would ostensibly help parents filter out inappropriate content or unwanted interactions on their children’s devices.

    The FOSI authors conclude the reason parents aren’t using the tools is because they feel “overwhelmed” and recommend parents educate themselves as a good first step toward broader use.

    While overwhelm is a real thing, we suggest a bigger problem with parental controls is how they are designed. This includes how little attention is given to supporting open communication between parents and children.

    Once a year for the past three years, we’ve asked the same 33 children (initially aged six to 12) what they think about content ratings, online safety, game monetization and privacy.
    Our team’s combined expertise in communication, education, policy and game studies analyzed their answers.

    We also asked their parents how they mediated their kids’ gaming. Nearly half of them don’t use parental controls either. They say parental controls don’t always work as promised, offer little context about how settings affect gameplay and force binary choices that don’t align with household rules or with children’s maturity levels.

    The parents we asked said they aren’t avoiding parental controls because they feel overwhelmed by them. It’s that the tools are poorly designed.

    Parent controls can introduce more problems

    At the same time, many of the parents described themselves as highly engaged in their child’s gameplay; talking with their children regularly or encouraging play in shared, supervised spaces. Several said they choose to trust their child rather than set top-down limits.

    Our findings align with previous research on digital parenting. In one British study, parents said they felt some controls were valuable supplements to mediation, while other controls were poorly designed, introducing more problems than solutions.

    The use of parental controls doesn’t necessarily translate to increased child safety. In fact, using parental controls can create a disconnect between parents and children on key safety issues.

    Awareness of risks

    Six children we interviewed were not aware their parents were using controls, and at least two children revealed they didn’t even know why a parent would use parental controls in the first place. In this context, parents’ efforts to protect their children had the unintended side effect of obscuring vital knowledge, leaving the children unaware of some of the key risks associated with playing online. Parental controls can remove opportunities to teach kids about safety if they aren’t part of the conversation.

    We believe that the behind-the-scenes protections enabled by (some) parental controls can be detrimental to parent-child communication about online safety. What are the risks? How can children avoid the riskiest behaviour? What should they do when or if they’ve encountered danger?

    Meanwhile, parents aren’t always familiar with the features and activities they are asked to restrict or allow. Very few parental controls contain information about how gameplay will be impacted by their settings. Many contain terms only someone familiar with the game would understand, while others are hard to navigate.

    All of this can lead to misinterpretations and parent-child conflicts, making the tools even harder to use.

    Power of communication

    Open communication between parents and children on safety topics fosters trust, which increases the likelihood kids will turn to their parents for help when something dangerous happens.

    It enables children to build resiliency, which in turn reduces the risk they’ll be harmed by negative online encounters.

    Research also suggests that parent-child communication may be more effective at helping to avoid harm than embedded restrictions enabled by parental controls.

    The importance of open communication is also emphasized in the FOSI report. In households where conversations about online safety happened regularly (six times or more a year), parents and children were both more likely to view parental controls as a useful and valuable tool for online safety.

    This, the authors conclude, “supports the view of online safety as a collaborative effort as opposed to a priority imposed by parents on their children.”

    On this point, we couldn’t agree more. Families would benefit from making parental controls and safety settings a family affair. Kids and parents have a lot to learn from each other about the digital world, and reviewing these systems together can provide a much-needed opening for crucial conversations about risk, safety and what kids find meaningful about digital play.

    Rethinking safety tools

    Let’s not pretend parental controls are a panacea for child safety.

    Many parental controls contain serious design flaws and limitations. Very few comprehensively address the needs and concerns of either children or their parents.

    Now that lawmakers are starting to make parental controls a mandatory part of new child safety legislation, we urgently need to start taking a closer and more critical look at what they can and can’t do.

    Parental controls can be a useful tool when they are designed well, applied with transparency, and provide families with ample options so they can be tailored to not only fit with but foster household rules and open communication.

    There’s a lot of work to be done before this is the standard. But also a growing impetus for game and other tech companies to make it happen.

    Sara M. Grimes receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada,

    Riley McNair does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Parental controls on children’s tech devices are out of touch with child’s play – https://theconversation.com/parental-controls-on-childrens-tech-devices-are-out-of-touch-with-childs-play-257874

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Workplaces have embraced mindfulness and self-compassion — but did capitalism hijack their true purpose?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Yasemin Pacaci, Postdoctoral Fellow, Smith School of Business, Queen’s University, Ontario

    When practiced with integrity, mindfulness and self-compassion can improve the collective well-being and personal agency of employees. (Shutterstock)

    Mindfulness and self-compassion have become popular tools for improving mental health and well-being in the workplace. Mindfulness involves paying attention to thoughts, emotions and surroundings without judgment, much like watching clouds pass in the sky. This moment-to-moment awareness helps people respond skilfully rather than react automatically.

    Self-compassion builds on mindfulness by encouraging people to meet difficult feelings and experiences with kindness instead of resistance. In other words, mindfulness helps people first recognize their suffering, while self-compassion helps people respond with kindness.

    Both mindfulness and self-compassion can be practised formally through meditations like body scans, breath awareness or loving-kindness meditation, and informally by bringing mindful attention to mind, emotions and everyday activities.

    Both practices have the potential to transform dysfunctional workplaces by improving the collective well-being and personal agency of employees.

    Yet too often, these practices are introduced superficially to boost productivity and performance, rather than used to address the root causes of workplace stress. It’s a pattern I’ve witnessed repeatedly in my years as a mindfulness teacher and researcher.

    This brings into question whether these practices can thrive in capitalist systems that prioritize profit over people. But rather than rejecting mindfulness and self-compassion as incompatible with capitalism, I argue we need a more thoughtful framework that stays true to their essence while tackling common misunderstandings and misuses.

    How capitalism is co-opting mindfulness

    Academic and practitioner critics have raised concerns about how mindfulness and self-compassion practices are being integrated into corporate life.

    Some of these critics argue that companies are incorporating mindfulness and self-compassion practices not to fix systemic problems, but to boost their own productivity and shift the responsibility for stress onto employees.

    In these cases, critics use the term “McMindfulness” to describe a commodified, diluted version of mindfulness that is stripped of its roots in Buddhist philosophy.

    If organizations want to reap the full benefits of mindfulness and self-compassion, they need to take a more deliberate, systemic approach.
    (Unsplash/Redd Francisco)

    Some critics have gone further, claiming that mindfulness encourages contentment with the status quo and may make employees more vulnerable to exploitation.

    While these critiques raise valid concerns, they often create more confusion and resistance than meaningful dialogue or practical solutions for implementing mindfulness and self-compassion in the workplace.

    Empirical research offers a more nuanced perspective. Mindfulness and self-compassion, when practised consistently, can strengthen employees’ sense of agency, improve their self-confidence, support ethical decision-making and action for meaningful change.

    Done right, mindfulness can help workers

    Employees who develop mindfulness and self-compassion skills tend to respond in three main ways, according to research.

    First, they become more aware of dysfunction in the workplace. This awareness can empower them to speak up and advocate for change if it’s within their control and in their own interest. It can also cause them to engage in more ethical practices, especially in toxic work environments.

    Second, they are more likely to leave toxic work environments. When employees realize change is beyond their control, mindfulness and self-compassion can cause them to lose their motivation for work and, indirectly, might prompt them to leave toxic workplaces altogether.

    Third, for employees who end up staying in their roles, they are better able to acknowledge and become less effected by stressors. However, this doesn’t mean they become more productive or blindly enthusiastic about their jobs. Mindfulness enhances motivation that stems from genuine interest, not from pressure or obligation.

    It’s important to note that mindfulness doesn’t mean these employees condone poor conditions or toxic practices. Rather, it helps them see reality more clearly, without denial or avoidance.

    And for employers hoping mindfulness will instantly boost engagement or drive performance, research shows employees may actually become more critical of their work and less willing to perform mundane tasks.

    Towards true workplace transformation

    Mindfulness alone cannot fix a toxic workplace. When organizations introduce mindfulness programs without first addressing the underlying causes of stress or toxicity, they’re unlikely to see the results they expect.

    If organizations want to reap the full benefits of mindfulness and self-compassion, they need to take a more deliberate, structured approach. Psychologist Kurt Lewin’s three-step change management model offers a useful guide:

    Step 1. Unfreeze: Address the root causes of workplace stress

    • Address systemic stressors. Before introducing any well-being initiative, organizations must confront actual sources of stress such as excessive workloads, toxic leadership and job insecurity.
    • Correct misunderstandings. Clarify what mindfulness and self-compassion actually is to reduce scepticism and confusion.
    • Avoid mandatory participation. Giving employees the freedom to opt in fosters authentic engagement and sustains interest.
    Without addressing the systemic causes of stress, mindfulness practices can prove ineffective.
    (Shutterstock)

    Step 2. Change: Implement practices ethically and intentionally

    • Lead by example at the top. Instead of only offering these programs to employees, leaders should engage with mindfulness and self-compassion practices themselves. When senior figures lead by example, these programs gain legitimacy and workplaces foster more ethical, people-centered leadership that goes beyond performance and productivity.
    • Ensure cultural sensitivity. Small cultural adaptations can improve the inclusion of mindfulness and self-compassion sessions. For instance, research has found that in Hispanic communities, using familiar stories or proverbs can make mindfulness sessions more relatable and improve engagement.
    • Preserve ethical foundations. Present mindfulness and self-compassion as universal practices, not tied to any one religion. This preserves their ethical underpinnings while ensuring they remain universal and accessible to all.

    Step 3. Freeze: Embed mindfulness and self-compassion into workplace culture

    • Encourage small, daily practices. Offer simple tools like journaling or mindful breathing breaks that employees can tailor to their own needs and schedules.
    • Provide ongoing support. Create time and space for continued practice, such as guided meditations, mindfulness moments in meetings or gratitude boards so new habits take root.
    • Measure impact holistically. Consider hiring qualified professionals to evaluate program effectiveness, address emerging needs and keep the organization moving forward.

    Moving beyond wellness window-dressing

    Mindfulness and self-compassion are not magic bullets, but they can still be powerful catalysts for change.

    When introduced with a deliberate and thoughtful approach, mindfulness and self-compassion can help workplaces move beyond shallow wellness “hacks” toward truly transformative practices, even in high-pressure, profit-driven environments.

    Far from serving as a quick fix or a mere productivity tool, these practices encourage employees to challenge the status quo, take meaningful action, build healthier relationships and make more ethical decisions. They can help individual employees flourish within and beyond their workplaces.

    The true value of mindfulness and self-compassion practices lies not in short-term outcomes or surface-level improvements, but in helping individuals be more aware of themselves, their surroundings and the choices they make, which is beyond any outcome or context.

    Yasemin Pacaci does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Workplaces have embraced mindfulness and self-compassion — but did capitalism hijack their true purpose? – https://theconversation.com/workplaces-have-embraced-mindfulness-and-self-compassion-but-did-capitalism-hijack-their-true-purpose-258043

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Workplaces have embraced mindfulness and self-compassion — but did capitalism hijack their true purpose?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Yasemin Pacaci, Postdoctoral Fellow, Smith School of Business, Queen’s University, Ontario

    When practiced with integrity, mindfulness and self-compassion can improve the collective well-being and personal agency of employees. (Shutterstock)

    Mindfulness and self-compassion have become popular tools for improving mental health and well-being in the workplace. Mindfulness involves paying attention to thoughts, emotions and surroundings without judgment, much like watching clouds pass in the sky. This moment-to-moment awareness helps people respond skilfully rather than react automatically.

    Self-compassion builds on mindfulness by encouraging people to meet difficult feelings and experiences with kindness instead of resistance. In other words, mindfulness helps people first recognize their suffering, while self-compassion helps people respond with kindness.

    Both mindfulness and self-compassion can be practised formally through meditations like body scans, breath awareness or loving-kindness meditation, and informally by bringing mindful attention to mind, emotions and everyday activities.

    Both practices have the potential to transform dysfunctional workplaces by improving the collective well-being and personal agency of employees.

    Yet too often, these practices are introduced superficially to boost productivity and performance, rather than used to address the root causes of workplace stress. It’s a pattern I’ve witnessed repeatedly in my years as a mindfulness teacher and researcher.

    This brings into question whether these practices can thrive in capitalist systems that prioritize profit over people. But rather than rejecting mindfulness and self-compassion as incompatible with capitalism, I argue we need a more thoughtful framework that stays true to their essence while tackling common misunderstandings and misuses.

    How capitalism is co-opting mindfulness

    Academic and practitioner critics have raised concerns about how mindfulness and self-compassion practices are being integrated into corporate life.

    Some of these critics argue that companies are incorporating mindfulness and self-compassion practices not to fix systemic problems, but to boost their own productivity and shift the responsibility for stress onto employees.

    In these cases, critics use the term “McMindfulness” to describe a commodified, diluted version of mindfulness that is stripped of its roots in Buddhist philosophy.

    If organizations want to reap the full benefits of mindfulness and self-compassion, they need to take a more deliberate, systemic approach.
    (Unsplash/Redd Francisco)

    Some critics have gone further, claiming that mindfulness encourages contentment with the status quo and may make employees more vulnerable to exploitation.

    While these critiques raise valid concerns, they often create more confusion and resistance than meaningful dialogue or practical solutions for implementing mindfulness and self-compassion in the workplace.

    Empirical research offers a more nuanced perspective. Mindfulness and self-compassion, when practised consistently, can strengthen employees’ sense of agency, improve their self-confidence, support ethical decision-making and action for meaningful change.

    Done right, mindfulness can help workers

    Employees who develop mindfulness and self-compassion skills tend to respond in three main ways, according to research.

    First, they become more aware of dysfunction in the workplace. This awareness can empower them to speak up and advocate for change if it’s within their control and in their own interest. It can also cause them to engage in more ethical practices, especially in toxic work environments.

    Second, they are more likely to leave toxic work environments. When employees realize change is beyond their control, mindfulness and self-compassion can cause them to lose their motivation for work and, indirectly, might prompt them to leave toxic workplaces altogether.

    Third, for employees who end up staying in their roles, they are better able to acknowledge and become less effected by stressors. However, this doesn’t mean they become more productive or blindly enthusiastic about their jobs. Mindfulness enhances motivation that stems from genuine interest, not from pressure or obligation.

    It’s important to note that mindfulness doesn’t mean these employees condone poor conditions or toxic practices. Rather, it helps them see reality more clearly, without denial or avoidance.

    And for employers hoping mindfulness will instantly boost engagement or drive performance, research shows employees may actually become more critical of their work and less willing to perform mundane tasks.

    Towards true workplace transformation

    Mindfulness alone cannot fix a toxic workplace. When organizations introduce mindfulness programs without first addressing the underlying causes of stress or toxicity, they’re unlikely to see the results they expect.

    If organizations want to reap the full benefits of mindfulness and self-compassion, they need to take a more deliberate, structured approach. Psychologist Kurt Lewin’s three-step change management model offers a useful guide:

    Step 1. Unfreeze: Address the root causes of workplace stress

    • Address systemic stressors. Before introducing any well-being initiative, organizations must confront actual sources of stress such as excessive workloads, toxic leadership and job insecurity.
    • Correct misunderstandings. Clarify what mindfulness and self-compassion actually is to reduce scepticism and confusion.
    • Avoid mandatory participation. Giving employees the freedom to opt in fosters authentic engagement and sustains interest.
    Without addressing the systemic causes of stress, mindfulness practices can prove ineffective.
    (Shutterstock)

    Step 2. Change: Implement practices ethically and intentionally

    • Lead by example at the top. Instead of only offering these programs to employees, leaders should engage with mindfulness and self-compassion practices themselves. When senior figures lead by example, these programs gain legitimacy and workplaces foster more ethical, people-centered leadership that goes beyond performance and productivity.
    • Ensure cultural sensitivity. Small cultural adaptations can improve the inclusion of mindfulness and self-compassion sessions. For instance, research has found that in Hispanic communities, using familiar stories or proverbs can make mindfulness sessions more relatable and improve engagement.
    • Preserve ethical foundations. Present mindfulness and self-compassion as universal practices, not tied to any one religion. This preserves their ethical underpinnings while ensuring they remain universal and accessible to all.

    Step 3. Freeze: Embed mindfulness and self-compassion into workplace culture

    • Encourage small, daily practices. Offer simple tools like journaling or mindful breathing breaks that employees can tailor to their own needs and schedules.
    • Provide ongoing support. Create time and space for continued practice, such as guided meditations, mindfulness moments in meetings or gratitude boards so new habits take root.
    • Measure impact holistically. Consider hiring qualified professionals to evaluate program effectiveness, address emerging needs and keep the organization moving forward.

    Moving beyond wellness window-dressing

    Mindfulness and self-compassion are not magic bullets, but they can still be powerful catalysts for change.

    When introduced with a deliberate and thoughtful approach, mindfulness and self-compassion can help workplaces move beyond shallow wellness “hacks” toward truly transformative practices, even in high-pressure, profit-driven environments.

    Far from serving as a quick fix or a mere productivity tool, these practices encourage employees to challenge the status quo, take meaningful action, build healthier relationships and make more ethical decisions. They can help individual employees flourish within and beyond their workplaces.

    The true value of mindfulness and self-compassion practices lies not in short-term outcomes or surface-level improvements, but in helping individuals be more aware of themselves, their surroundings and the choices they make, which is beyond any outcome or context.

    Yasemin Pacaci does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Workplaces have embraced mindfulness and self-compassion — but did capitalism hijack their true purpose? – https://theconversation.com/workplaces-have-embraced-mindfulness-and-self-compassion-but-did-capitalism-hijack-their-true-purpose-258043

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: University leaders have to make sense of massive disruption — 4 ways they do it

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Daniel Atlin, Adjunct Professor, Gordon S. Lang School of Business, University of Guelph

    Trying to navigate an environment where massive disruption and unprecedented change is the norm presents a challenge for business leaders everywhere.

    Social-purpose, multi-stakeholder organizations like post-secondary institutions, hospitals, governments and NGOs are particularly affected.

    The practice of “sense-making” — making sense of the situations people find themselves in, in the words of organizational theorist Karl Weick — offers an innovative and timely framework that can help social-purpose leaders address complexity.

    Senior post-secondary leaders study

    Management experts have described sense-making as the key skill needed in an age of disruption. This has been confirmed through my research while completing a master’s degree in change leadership.

    I interviewed more than two dozen senior leaders in complex organizations in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand — the majority of whom were in the post-secondary sector. I found the leaders I interviewed were intuitively using elements from Weick’s organizational sense-making framework.

    As one leader shared:

    “The first thing you need to do is to recognize that it’s your role to help the rest of your community make sense of what’s happening around you. It’s something that I take very seriously.”

    Deborah Ancona, professor of management at MIT, says:

    “Sense-making is most often needed when our understanding of the world becomes unintelligible in some way. This occurs when the environment is changing rapidly, presenting us with surprises for which we are unprepared or confronting us with adaptive, rather than technical problems to solve.”

    Leading in ‘age of outrage’

    Social-purpose organizations face common issues such as a lack of funding, system fragmentation, competing stakeholders, new entrants and the challenges of emerging technologies.

    They are also at the centre of what business and public policy professor Karthik Ramana describes as “the age of outrage,” reflected in heightened polarization. Against this backdrop, it’s increasingly challenging to attract and retain leaders.

    I heard from leaders who felt they didn’t have the proper training for the job or support once they started their roles. In part, this is because few of them, including those involved in their hiring, seem to realize the actual messiness inherent within their organizations.

    This brings to mind the parable that writer David Foster Wallace used in his 2005 convocation speech at Kenyon College, in which two young fish are told by an older fish that they are swimming in water. One of the young fish then turns to the other in surprise and says: “What is water anyway?”

    Lack of agency

    I heard from various leaders who experienced an “aha” moment when they realized they were immersed within a fluid and dynamic organizational environment that they were expected to run like a traditional business. This realization gave them a framework to understand the lack of agency they often experienced.

    The challenge with social-purpose organizations is that they’re complex adaptive systems in which individual interactions form an ever-changing array of networks generating emergent behaviours that are often unpredictable. Complex adaptive systems also tend to revert to the status quo when faced with change.

    So how do social-purpose leaders navigate change and this challenging organizational context? They wrap their efforts around purpose. It’s an anchor point and unifying focus for leaders, teams and all stakeholders.

    4 strategies

    Based on my research, I’ve identified four main sense-making strategies that leaders use:

    Exploration and map-making: These pursuits help leaders extract a steady flow of information and data from their interactions both inside and outside their organizations. This allows them to develop high-level, adaptive frameworks that are constantly in flux — similar to Google Maps, as it generates live snapshots of traffic flows and suggested routes.

    Storytelling and narrative development: Leaders use storytelling and narrative development to project ideas, purposes and visions into the future. This allows them to connect emotionally and inspire people and communities. Recognizing their role as storyteller-in-chief can align disparate parts of an organization into a coherent and engaged whole.

    Invention and improvisation: These are employed by leaders to test assumptions as they learn what works and what doesn’t. This approach allows them to respond in real time to the never-ending flow of new information. Without taking risks, leaders are at risk of being stuck in paralysis.

    Adaptation and collaboration allows leaders to help their organizations remain relevant. Leaders spoke about the need to foster adaptation. They also stressed the need to attract new resources through collaboration across like-minded institutions, governments, funding partners and the private sector.

    Embracing a sense-making mindset

    Thinking that benefits the interests and perspectives of the total enterprise is a critical but challenging task for leaders in social- purpose organizations.

    Time and energy — two scarce resources — are necessary to build aligned and high-performing teams and to break down silos. Team alignment cannot be achieved through the occasional team-building session, but requires an ongoing commitment and a well-articulated plan.

    Social-purpose organizations need practices, frameworks and metrics that are tailored to organizations’ unique needs. Rather than spending resources, time and energy on strategic plans, some leaders are building more flexible strategic frameworks or using strategic foresight to guide an innovative vision for the future.

    Leadership can be lonely

    It’s also important to remember that leadership can be lonely. To survive and thrive, social-purpose leaders must remember to seek out their own coaches and build communities of practice to enhance their lived experience and activities.

    Developing an outer shell to weather criticism also helps. While leaders can’t please everyone, sense-making leaders find strength and build endurance in the recognition that the roles they play are meaningful, satisfying and essential — not only within the organizations they serve but through the collective work their organizations accomplish in the world.

    Leaders (and board members) must realize that hiring the same people with the same profile as the past won’t make an organization ready for change, but instead reinforces the status quo.

    By recognizing the messiness of their organizations and using sense-making skills, leaders in social-purpose organizations have better odds of surviving the perils and challenges of massive disruption and unprecedented change.

    Daniel Atlin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. University leaders have to make sense of massive disruption — 4 ways they do it – https://theconversation.com/university-leaders-have-to-make-sense-of-massive-disruption-4-ways-they-do-it-257866

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement by Minister Freeland on the twelfth anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic tragedy

    Source: Government of Canada News

    July 6, 2025            Lac-Mégantic, Quebec            Transport Canada

    The Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, today issued the following statement to mark the twelve years that have passed since the Lac-Mégantic tragedy:

    “Twelve years ago, the community of Lac-Mégantic experienced a devastating tragedy. On that day, 47 lives were lost, and a vibrant downtown was devastated by a train derailment that left an indelible mark on the heart of Quebec and all of Canada.

    “On this day of remembrance, we pause in memory of the victims, we offer our thoughts to the survivors, and we salute the courage of an entire community that, year after year, continues to rebuild itself with dignity and resilience.

    “The Government of Canada remains firmly committed to ensuring that such a tragedy never happens again. The construction of the Lac-Mégantic rail bypass is one of my priorities. We are committed to working closely with the local communities until its completion. We have strengthened rail safety rules, modernized our oversight systems, and continued to work with our partners to build a safer, more sustainable, and people-centred transportation system.

    “We have learned from the Lac-Mégantic derailment. This tragedy must never be forgotten, because it pushes us to do better, to be more rigorous, and to never accept the unacceptable. We owe our determination to the victims, and our concrete action to the generations to come.”

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man arrested following vandalism of Windrush Exhibition

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Met officers have arrested a man after an exhibition honouring the Windrush generation was vandalised in Brixton.

    On Thursday, 3 July at 06:09hrs police were called to reports of vandalism at Windrush Square, Brixton.

    Officers began a swift investigation before a 24-year-old man was arrested on Saturday, 5 July on suspicion of vandalism. He was taken to a police station where he remains in custody.

    Based on enquiries carried out so far, the incident is not being treated as a hate crime. Further enquiries will take place to establish the circumstances.

    Superintendent Gabriel Cameron who leads policing in Brixton said:

    “We understand that those in the community will feel distressed about vandalism to the Windrush exhibition in Brixton.

    “We believe that this was not a hate crime, and I want to reassure anyone with concerns, that a man has now been arrested.

    “Local neighbourhood officers have been in contact with the organiser of the exhibition, and remain in the area to respond to any questions or worries that people may have.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: ‘Big’ legislative package shifts more of SNAP’s costs to states, saving federal dollars but causing fewer Americans to get help paying for food

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Tracy Roof, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond

    People shop for food in Brooklyn in 2023 at a store that makes sure that its customers know it accepts SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps and EBT.
     Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The legislative package that President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025, has several provisions that will shrink the safety net, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, long known as food stamps. SNAP spending will decline by an estimated US$186 billion through 2034 as a result of several changes Congress made to the program that today helps roughly 42 million people buy groceries – an almost 20% reduction.

    In my research on the history of food stamps, I’ve found that the program was meant to be widely available to most low-income people. The SNAP changes break that tradition in two ways.

    The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 3 million people are likely to be dropped from the program and lose their benefits. This decline will occur in part because more people will face time limits if they don’t meet work requirements. Even those who meet the requirements may lose benefits because of difficulty submitting the necessary documents.

    And because states will soon have to take on more of the costs of the program, which totaled over $100 billion in 2024, they may eventually further restrict who gets help due to their own budgetary constraints.

    Summing up SNAP’s origins

    Inspired by the plight of unemployed coal miners whom John F. Kennedy met in Appalachia when he campaigned for the presidency in 1960, the early food stamps program was not limited to single parents with children, older people and people with disabilities, like many other safety net programs were at the time. It was supposed to help low-income people afford more and better food, regardless of their circumstances.

    In response to national attention in the late 1960s to widespread hunger and malnutrition in other areas of the country, such as among tenant farmers in the rural South, a limited food stamps program was expanded. It reached every part of the country by 1974.

    From the start, the states administered the program and covered some of its administrative costs and the federal government paid for the benefits in full. This arrangement encouraged states to enroll everyone who needed help without fearing the budgetary consequences.

    Who could qualify and how much help they could get were set by uniform national standards, so that even the residents of the poorest states would be able to afford a budget-conscious but nutritionally adequate diet.

    The federal government’s responsibility for the cost of benefits also allowed spending to automatically grow during economic downturns, when more people need assistance. These federal dollars helped families, retailers and local economies weather tough times.

    The changes to the SNAP program included in the legislative package that Congress approved by narrow margins and Trump signed into law, however, will make it harder for the program to serve its original goals.

    Restricting benefits

    Since the early 1970s, most so-called able-bodied adults who were not caring for a child or an adult with disabilities had to meet a work requirement to get food stamps. Welfare reform legislation in 1996 made that requirement stricter for such adults between the ages of 18 and 50 by imposing a three-month time limit if they didn’t log 20 hours or more of employment or another approved activity, such as verified volunteering.

    Budget legislation passed in 2023 expanded this rule to adults up to age 54. The 2025 law will further expand the time limit to adults up to age 64 and parents of children age 14 or over.

    States can currently get permission from the federal government to waive work requirements in areas with insufficient jobs or unemployment above the national average. This flexibility to waive work requirements will now be significantly limited and available only where at least 1 in 10 workers are unemployed.

    Concerned senators secured an exemption from the work requirements for most Native Americans and Native Alaskans, who are more likely to live in areas with limited job opportunities.

    A 2023 budget deal exempted veterans, the homeless and young adults exiting the foster care system from work requirements because they can experience special challenges getting jobs. The 2025 law does not exempt them.

    The new changes to SNAP policies will also deny benefits to many immigrants with authorization to be in the U.S., such as people granted political asylum or official refugee status. Immigrants without authorization to reside in the U.S. will continue to be ineligible for SNAP benefits.

    Tracking ‘error rates’

    Critics of food stamps have long argued that states lack incentives to carefully administer the program because the federal government is on the hook for the cost of benefits.

    In the 1970s, as the number of Americans on the food stamp rolls soared, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program, developed a system for assessing if states were accurately determining whether applicants were eligible for benefits and how much they could get.

    A state’s “payment error rate” estimates the share of benefits paid out that were more or less than an applicant was actually eligible for. The error rate was not then and is not today a measure of fraud. Typically, it just indicates the share of families who get a higher – or lower – amount of benefits than they are eligible for because of mistakes or confusion on the part of the applicant or the case worker who handles the application.

    Congress tried to penalize states with error rates over 5% in the 1980s but ultimately suspended the effort under state pressure. After years of political wrangling, the USDA started to consistently enforce financial penalties on states with high error rates in the mid-1990s.

    States responded by increasing their red tape. For example, they asked applicants to submit more documentation and made them go through more bureaucratic hoops, like having more frequent in-person interviews, to get – and continue receiving – SNAP benefits.

    These demands hit low-wage workers hardest because their applications were more prone to mistakes. Low-income workers often don’t have consistent work hours and their pay can vary from week to week and month to month. The number of families getting benefits fell steeply.

    The USDA tried to reverse this decline by offering states options to simplify the process for applying for and continuing to get SNAP benefits over the course of the presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Enrollment grew steadily.

    Penalizing high rates

    Since 2008, states with error rates over 6% have had to develop a detailed plan to lower them.

    Despite this requirement, the national average error rate jumped from 7.4% before the pandemic, to a record high of 11.7% in 2023. Rates rose as states struggled with a surge of people applying for benefits, a shortage of staff in state welfare agencies and procedural changes.

    Republican leaders in Congress have responded to that increase by calling for more accountability.

    Making states pay more

    The big legislative package will increase states’ expenses in two ways.

    It will reduce the federal government’s responsibility for half of the cost of administering the program to 25% beginning in the 2027 fiscal year.

    And some states will have to pay a share of benefit costs for the first time in the program’s history, depending on their payment error rates. Beginning in the 2028 fiscal year, states with an error rate between 6-8% would be responsible for 5% of the cost of benefits. Those with an error rate between 8-10% would have to pay 10%, and states with an error rate over 10% would have to pay 15%. The federal government would continue to pay all benefits in states with error rates below 6%.

    Republicans argue the changes will give states more “skin in the game” and ensure better administration of the program.

    While the national payment error rate fell from 11.68% in the 2023 fiscal year to 10.93% a year later, 42 states still had rates in excess of 6% in 2024. Twenty states plus the District of Columbia had rates of 10% or higher.

    At nearly 25%, Alaska has the highest payment error rate in the country. But Alaska won’t be in trouble right away. To ease passage in the Senate, where the vote of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, was in doubt, a provision was added to the bill allowing several states with the highest error rates to avoid cost sharing for up to two years after it begins.

    Democrats argue this may encourage states to actually increase their error rates in the short term.

    The effect of the new law on the amount of help an eligible household gets is expected to be limited.

    About 600,000 individuals and families will lose an average of $100 a month in benefits because of a change in the way utility costs are treated. The law also prevents future administrations from increasing benefits beyond the cost of living, as the Biden Administration did.

    States cannot cut benefits below the national standards set in federal law.

    But the shift of costs to financially strapped states will force them to make tough choices. They will either have to cut back spending on other programs, increase taxes, discourage people from getting SNAP benefits or drop the program altogether.

    The changes will, in the end, make it even harder for Americans who can’t afford the bare necessities to get enough nutritious food to feed their families.

    Tracy Roof does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. ‘Big’ legislative package shifts more of SNAP’s costs to states, saving federal dollars but causing fewer Americans to get help paying for food – https://theconversation.com/big-legislative-package-shifts-more-of-snaps-costs-to-states-saving-federal-dollars-but-causing-fewer-americans-to-get-help-paying-for-food-260166

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: ‘Big’ legislative package shifts more of SNAP’s costs to states, saving federal dollars but causing fewer Americans to get help paying for food

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Tracy Roof, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond

    People shop for food in Brooklyn in 2023 at a store that makes sure that its customers know it accepts SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps and EBT.
     Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The legislative package that President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025, has several provisions that will shrink the safety net, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, long known as food stamps. SNAP spending will decline by an estimated US$186 billion through 2034 as a result of several changes Congress made to the program that today helps roughly 42 million people buy groceries – an almost 20% reduction.

    In my research on the history of food stamps, I’ve found that the program was meant to be widely available to most low-income people. The SNAP changes break that tradition in two ways.

    The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 3 million people are likely to be dropped from the program and lose their benefits. This decline will occur in part because more people will face time limits if they don’t meet work requirements. Even those who meet the requirements may lose benefits because of difficulty submitting the necessary documents.

    And because states will soon have to take on more of the costs of the program, which totaled over $100 billion in 2024, they may eventually further restrict who gets help due to their own budgetary constraints.

    Summing up SNAP’s origins

    Inspired by the plight of unemployed coal miners whom John F. Kennedy met in Appalachia when he campaigned for the presidency in 1960, the early food stamps program was not limited to single parents with children, older people and people with disabilities, like many other safety net programs were at the time. It was supposed to help low-income people afford more and better food, regardless of their circumstances.

    In response to national attention in the late 1960s to widespread hunger and malnutrition in other areas of the country, such as among tenant farmers in the rural South, a limited food stamps program was expanded. It reached every part of the country by 1974.

    From the start, the states administered the program and covered some of its administrative costs and the federal government paid for the benefits in full. This arrangement encouraged states to enroll everyone who needed help without fearing the budgetary consequences.

    Who could qualify and how much help they could get were set by uniform national standards, so that even the residents of the poorest states would be able to afford a budget-conscious but nutritionally adequate diet.

    The federal government’s responsibility for the cost of benefits also allowed spending to automatically grow during economic downturns, when more people need assistance. These federal dollars helped families, retailers and local economies weather tough times.

    The changes to the SNAP program included in the legislative package that Congress approved by narrow margins and Trump signed into law, however, will make it harder for the program to serve its original goals.

    Restricting benefits

    Since the early 1970s, most so-called able-bodied adults who were not caring for a child or an adult with disabilities had to meet a work requirement to get food stamps. Welfare reform legislation in 1996 made that requirement stricter for such adults between the ages of 18 and 50 by imposing a three-month time limit if they didn’t log 20 hours or more of employment or another approved activity, such as verified volunteering.

    Budget legislation passed in 2023 expanded this rule to adults up to age 54. The 2025 law will further expand the time limit to adults up to age 64 and parents of children age 14 or over.

    States can currently get permission from the federal government to waive work requirements in areas with insufficient jobs or unemployment above the national average. This flexibility to waive work requirements will now be significantly limited and available only where at least 1 in 10 workers are unemployed.

    Concerned senators secured an exemption from the work requirements for most Native Americans and Native Alaskans, who are more likely to live in areas with limited job opportunities.

    A 2023 budget deal exempted veterans, the homeless and young adults exiting the foster care system from work requirements because they can experience special challenges getting jobs. The 2025 law does not exempt them.

    The new changes to SNAP policies will also deny benefits to many immigrants with authorization to be in the U.S., such as people granted political asylum or official refugee status. Immigrants without authorization to reside in the U.S. will continue to be ineligible for SNAP benefits.

    Tracking ‘error rates’

    Critics of food stamps have long argued that states lack incentives to carefully administer the program because the federal government is on the hook for the cost of benefits.

    In the 1970s, as the number of Americans on the food stamp rolls soared, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program, developed a system for assessing if states were accurately determining whether applicants were eligible for benefits and how much they could get.

    A state’s “payment error rate” estimates the share of benefits paid out that were more or less than an applicant was actually eligible for. The error rate was not then and is not today a measure of fraud. Typically, it just indicates the share of families who get a higher – or lower – amount of benefits than they are eligible for because of mistakes or confusion on the part of the applicant or the case worker who handles the application.

    Congress tried to penalize states with error rates over 5% in the 1980s but ultimately suspended the effort under state pressure. After years of political wrangling, the USDA started to consistently enforce financial penalties on states with high error rates in the mid-1990s.

    States responded by increasing their red tape. For example, they asked applicants to submit more documentation and made them go through more bureaucratic hoops, like having more frequent in-person interviews, to get – and continue receiving – SNAP benefits.

    These demands hit low-wage workers hardest because their applications were more prone to mistakes. Low-income workers often don’t have consistent work hours and their pay can vary from week to week and month to month. The number of families getting benefits fell steeply.

    The USDA tried to reverse this decline by offering states options to simplify the process for applying for and continuing to get SNAP benefits over the course of the presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Enrollment grew steadily.

    Penalizing high rates

    Since 2008, states with error rates over 6% have had to develop a detailed plan to lower them.

    Despite this requirement, the national average error rate jumped from 7.4% before the pandemic, to a record high of 11.7% in 2023. Rates rose as states struggled with a surge of people applying for benefits, a shortage of staff in state welfare agencies and procedural changes.

    Republican leaders in Congress have responded to that increase by calling for more accountability.

    Making states pay more

    The big legislative package will increase states’ expenses in two ways.

    It will reduce the federal government’s responsibility for half of the cost of administering the program to 25% beginning in the 2027 fiscal year.

    And some states will have to pay a share of benefit costs for the first time in the program’s history, depending on their payment error rates. Beginning in the 2028 fiscal year, states with an error rate between 6-8% would be responsible for 5% of the cost of benefits. Those with an error rate between 8-10% would have to pay 10%, and states with an error rate over 10% would have to pay 15%. The federal government would continue to pay all benefits in states with error rates below 6%.

    Republicans argue the changes will give states more “skin in the game” and ensure better administration of the program.

    While the national payment error rate fell from 11.68% in the 2023 fiscal year to 10.93% a year later, 42 states still had rates in excess of 6% in 2024. Twenty states plus the District of Columbia had rates of 10% or higher.

    At nearly 25%, Alaska has the highest payment error rate in the country. But Alaska won’t be in trouble right away. To ease passage in the Senate, where the vote of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, was in doubt, a provision was added to the bill allowing several states with the highest error rates to avoid cost sharing for up to two years after it begins.

    Democrats argue this may encourage states to actually increase their error rates in the short term.

    The effect of the new law on the amount of help an eligible household gets is expected to be limited.

    About 600,000 individuals and families will lose an average of $100 a month in benefits because of a change in the way utility costs are treated. The law also prevents future administrations from increasing benefits beyond the cost of living, as the Biden Administration did.

    States cannot cut benefits below the national standards set in federal law.

    But the shift of costs to financially strapped states will force them to make tough choices. They will either have to cut back spending on other programs, increase taxes, discourage people from getting SNAP benefits or drop the program altogether.

    The changes will, in the end, make it even harder for Americans who can’t afford the bare necessities to get enough nutritious food to feed their families.

    Tracy Roof does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. ‘Big’ legislative package shifts more of SNAP’s costs to states, saving federal dollars but causing fewer Americans to get help paying for food – https://theconversation.com/big-legislative-package-shifts-more-of-snaps-costs-to-states-saving-federal-dollars-but-causing-fewer-americans-to-get-help-paying-for-food-260166

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: ‘Big’ legislative package shifts more of SNAP’s costs to states, saving federal dollars but causing fewer Americans to get help paying for food

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Tracy Roof, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond

    People shop for food in Brooklyn in 2023 at a store that makes sure that its customers know it accepts SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps and EBT.
     Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The legislative package that President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025, has several provisions that will shrink the safety net, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, long known as food stamps. SNAP spending will decline by an estimated US$186 billion through 2034 as a result of several changes Congress made to the program that today helps roughly 42 million people buy groceries – an almost 20% reduction.

    In my research on the history of food stamps, I’ve found that the program was meant to be widely available to most low-income people. The SNAP changes break that tradition in two ways.

    The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 3 million people are likely to be dropped from the program and lose their benefits. This decline will occur in part because more people will face time limits if they don’t meet work requirements. Even those who meet the requirements may lose benefits because of difficulty submitting the necessary documents.

    And because states will soon have to take on more of the costs of the program, which totaled over $100 billion in 2024, they may eventually further restrict who gets help due to their own budgetary constraints.

    Summing up SNAP’s origins

    Inspired by the plight of unemployed coal miners whom John F. Kennedy met in Appalachia when he campaigned for the presidency in 1960, the early food stamps program was not limited to single parents with children, older people and people with disabilities, like many other safety net programs were at the time. It was supposed to help low-income people afford more and better food, regardless of their circumstances.

    In response to national attention in the late 1960s to widespread hunger and malnutrition in other areas of the country, such as among tenant farmers in the rural South, a limited food stamps program was expanded. It reached every part of the country by 1974.

    From the start, the states administered the program and covered some of its administrative costs and the federal government paid for the benefits in full. This arrangement encouraged states to enroll everyone who needed help without fearing the budgetary consequences.

    Who could qualify and how much help they could get were set by uniform national standards, so that even the residents of the poorest states would be able to afford a budget-conscious but nutritionally adequate diet.

    The federal government’s responsibility for the cost of benefits also allowed spending to automatically grow during economic downturns, when more people need assistance. These federal dollars helped families, retailers and local economies weather tough times.

    The changes to the SNAP program included in the legislative package that Congress approved by narrow margins and Trump signed into law, however, will make it harder for the program to serve its original goals.

    Restricting benefits

    Since the early 1970s, most so-called able-bodied adults who were not caring for a child or an adult with disabilities had to meet a work requirement to get food stamps. Welfare reform legislation in 1996 made that requirement stricter for such adults between the ages of 18 and 50 by imposing a three-month time limit if they didn’t log 20 hours or more of employment or another approved activity, such as verified volunteering.

    Budget legislation passed in 2023 expanded this rule to adults up to age 54. The 2025 law will further expand the time limit to adults up to age 64 and parents of children age 14 or over.

    States can currently get permission from the federal government to waive work requirements in areas with insufficient jobs or unemployment above the national average. This flexibility to waive work requirements will now be significantly limited and available only where at least 1 in 10 workers are unemployed.

    Concerned senators secured an exemption from the work requirements for most Native Americans and Native Alaskans, who are more likely to live in areas with limited job opportunities.

    A 2023 budget deal exempted veterans, the homeless and young adults exiting the foster care system from work requirements because they can experience special challenges getting jobs. The 2025 law does not exempt them.

    The new changes to SNAP policies will also deny benefits to many immigrants with authorization to be in the U.S., such as people granted political asylum or official refugee status. Immigrants without authorization to reside in the U.S. will continue to be ineligible for SNAP benefits.

    Tracking ‘error rates’

    Critics of food stamps have long argued that states lack incentives to carefully administer the program because the federal government is on the hook for the cost of benefits.

    In the 1970s, as the number of Americans on the food stamp rolls soared, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program, developed a system for assessing if states were accurately determining whether applicants were eligible for benefits and how much they could get.

    A state’s “payment error rate” estimates the share of benefits paid out that were more or less than an applicant was actually eligible for. The error rate was not then and is not today a measure of fraud. Typically, it just indicates the share of families who get a higher – or lower – amount of benefits than they are eligible for because of mistakes or confusion on the part of the applicant or the case worker who handles the application.

    Congress tried to penalize states with error rates over 5% in the 1980s but ultimately suspended the effort under state pressure. After years of political wrangling, the USDA started to consistently enforce financial penalties on states with high error rates in the mid-1990s.

    States responded by increasing their red tape. For example, they asked applicants to submit more documentation and made them go through more bureaucratic hoops, like having more frequent in-person interviews, to get – and continue receiving – SNAP benefits.

    These demands hit low-wage workers hardest because their applications were more prone to mistakes. Low-income workers often don’t have consistent work hours and their pay can vary from week to week and month to month. The number of families getting benefits fell steeply.

    The USDA tried to reverse this decline by offering states options to simplify the process for applying for and continuing to get SNAP benefits over the course of the presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Enrollment grew steadily.

    Penalizing high rates

    Since 2008, states with error rates over 6% have had to develop a detailed plan to lower them.

    Despite this requirement, the national average error rate jumped from 7.4% before the pandemic, to a record high of 11.7% in 2023. Rates rose as states struggled with a surge of people applying for benefits, a shortage of staff in state welfare agencies and procedural changes.

    Republican leaders in Congress have responded to that increase by calling for more accountability.

    Making states pay more

    The big legislative package will increase states’ expenses in two ways.

    It will reduce the federal government’s responsibility for half of the cost of administering the program to 25% beginning in the 2027 fiscal year.

    And some states will have to pay a share of benefit costs for the first time in the program’s history, depending on their payment error rates. Beginning in the 2028 fiscal year, states with an error rate between 6-8% would be responsible for 5% of the cost of benefits. Those with an error rate between 8-10% would have to pay 10%, and states with an error rate over 10% would have to pay 15%. The federal government would continue to pay all benefits in states with error rates below 6%.

    Republicans argue the changes will give states more “skin in the game” and ensure better administration of the program.

    While the national payment error rate fell from 11.68% in the 2023 fiscal year to 10.93% a year later, 42 states still had rates in excess of 6% in 2024. Twenty states plus the District of Columbia had rates of 10% or higher.

    At nearly 25%, Alaska has the highest payment error rate in the country. But Alaska won’t be in trouble right away. To ease passage in the Senate, where the vote of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, was in doubt, a provision was added to the bill allowing several states with the highest error rates to avoid cost sharing for up to two years after it begins.

    Democrats argue this may encourage states to actually increase their error rates in the short term.

    The effect of the new law on the amount of help an eligible household gets is expected to be limited.

    About 600,000 individuals and families will lose an average of $100 a month in benefits because of a change in the way utility costs are treated. The law also prevents future administrations from increasing benefits beyond the cost of living, as the Biden Administration did.

    States cannot cut benefits below the national standards set in federal law.

    But the shift of costs to financially strapped states will force them to make tough choices. They will either have to cut back spending on other programs, increase taxes, discourage people from getting SNAP benefits or drop the program altogether.

    The changes will, in the end, make it even harder for Americans who can’t afford the bare necessities to get enough nutritious food to feed their families.

    Tracy Roof does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. ‘Big’ legislative package shifts more of SNAP’s costs to states, saving federal dollars but causing fewer Americans to get help paying for food – https://theconversation.com/big-legislative-package-shifts-more-of-snaps-costs-to-states-saving-federal-dollars-but-causing-fewer-americans-to-get-help-paying-for-food-260166

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China to crack down on EU medical equipment in government procurement /detailed version-1/

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, July 6 (Xinhua) — China will take corresponding measures on some medical equipment imported from the European Union (EU) under government procurement projects in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, the Ministry of Finance said Sunday.

    When purchasing medical equipment worth more than 45 million yuan (about 6.29 million US dollars), if there is a real need to purchase imported products, the purchaser must exclude the participation of European Union enterprises – except for enterprises with foreign investment from the EU operating in China – after completing the procedures established by law, the ministry said.

    For non-EU companies participating in public procurement projects, the share of medical equipment imported from the EU that they provide must not exceed 50% of the total amount in the project contract.

    The above measures do not apply to procurement projects in which the need for goods can be met only by means of medical equipment imported from the EU, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

    This notification comes into force on July 6, 2025. With respect to procurement projects for which the winners of the tenders or the results of the transactions have already been announced before July 6 of this year, the above measures do not apply, and the corresponding public procurement contracts can continue to be signed, the ministry said in a statement. -0-

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Xi Jinping responds to letter from US youth pickleball cultural exchange delegation regarding their visit to China

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, July 6 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday responded to a letter from teachers and students of a youth pickleball cultural exchange delegation from Montgomery County, Maryland, who visited China as part of an initiative to invite 50,000 American youth to China for exchange and study programs over five years.

    Xi Jinping congratulated the delegation on their successful visit to China, noting that he was pleased to see that pickleball has become a new link in youth exchanges between China and the United States.

    The future of China-US relations depends on the youth, the Chinese leader noted, expressing hope that the delegation members will become a new generation of friendship ambassadors between the two countries and make a greater contribution to strengthening the friendship between their peoples.

    Earlier, the teachers and students of the delegation sent a letter to Xi Jinping, expressing gratitude for the “50 thousand in five years” initiative.

    They shared their experiences of visiting China and participating in events in April, noting that they developed friendships with Chinese youth during the trip.

    They also expressed hope to invite Chinese youth to visit the United States. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: OPEC announces acceleration of oil production growth

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    VIENNA, July 6 (Xinhua) — OPEC countries announced on Saturday they will increase oil production by 548,000 barrels per day in August, a faster pace than in July.

    In July, OPEC countries announced an increase in oil production by 411,000 barrels per day as part of a plan to gradually unwind the latest level of production cuts.

    The decision was taken on Saturday during a virtual meeting where the countries involved, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman, reviewed global market conditions and prospects, the organization said in a statement on its website.

    The adjustment was made taking into account “the stable global economic outlook and current healthy market fundamentals, as reflected in low oil inventory levels,” the statement said, adding that the gradual ramp-up could be suspended or reversed depending on changing market conditions.

    The 2.2 million bpd production cut, originally announced in November 2023, was implemented in the first quarter of 2024. Since then, the cut has been extended several times, until the first quarter of 2025. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Special Prosecutor Requests Detention Warrant for Former South Korean President Yoon Seok-yel

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    SEOUL, July 6 (Xinhua) — The special prosecutor investigating former South Korean President Yun Seok-yul’s attempted imposition of martial law has requested a warrant for his detention, a spokesman for the special prosecutor’s team said Sunday.

    Independent special prosecutor Cho Eun-seok, who is handling the sedition and other charges against the former president, has asked the Seoul Central District Court to issue a warrant.

    Charges listed in the warrant include obstruction of justice, abuse of power and falsification of official documents, the spokesman said.

    The warrant was requested to detain Yun Seok Yeol for an extended period of time, at least 20 days.

    The independent prosecutor’s team, which began its investigation on June 18, last month requested an arrest warrant for Yoon Seok-yeol for up to 48 hours, but the court rejected the request because Yoon Seok-yeol’s side said he was willing to appear for questioning at the special prosecutor’s request.

    On June 19, Yoon Seok-yeol ignored a police summons for a third time in a case involving his order to thwart an attempted arrest in January by presidential security forces and delete information from secure phones given to three military commanders.

    Let us recall that Yun Seok-yol was detained in the presidential administration building on January 15. On January 26, while in custody, he was charged with organizing a rebellion. However, on March 8, the politician was released after the prosecutor’s office decided not to appeal the court’s decision.

    On April 4, the Constitutional Court upheld a motion to impeach Yun Seok-yul over the attempted imposition of martial law last December, formally removing him from office. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Presidential Message on the 211th Anniversary of the Battle of Chippawa

    Source: US Whitehouse

    On July 5, 1814, on the plains of Chippawa, near the shores of Lake Ontario, the United States left its adolescence as a nation, and took its place among the great powers of the world, with a stirring victory over the British Army.  At the Battle of Chippawa, a seminal battle in the War of 1812, the true might of the United States Army was revealed in full glory in a victory that rekindled American pride and respect for the Army, and foreshadowed the rise of the United States as the greatest military power that the world has ever seen.

    When the first shots of the War of 1812 were fired, the United States Army was outmatched and underprepared to fight the then-greatest power in the world, Great Britain.  To reform our Nation’s military, Secretary of War John Armstrong Jr. established “Camps of Instruction” in New York to instill readiness and discipline in his troops.  Guided by strong military leadership and rigorous training from the likes of General Winfield Scott and General Jacob Brown, the United States Army was transformed from ragtag regiments into a finely-honed professional force—changing the course of the war and paving the path to unrivaled American military dominance.

    On the morning of July 5, 1814, the British launched a surprise attack in Chippawa along the Niagara River in Ontario, Canada.  General Scott’s brigade of regulars wore the gray uniforms of American militiamen, leading the British to believe that they were facing undisciplined troops who would quickly retreat, unable to match British battlefield prowess honed over years of conflict in the Napoleonic Wars.  And yet, as the two armies exchanged volley after volley of musket fire and artillery barrages, the intrepid American Soldiers were the ones who heroically held the line, and it was the British who were forced into an embarrassing retreat.  Recognizing his grave error, the British General Phineas Riall famously cried out, “Those are regulars, by God!”

    That day, the American Army decisively defeated the enemy, protected the American homeland, and inspired a new wave of unity, patriotism, and urgently-needed military morale in our war-weary nation.  America’s resounding victory at Chippawa will forever be remembered as the moment that the United States Army took its place among the great armies of the world, and showed itself to be capable of defeating any threat to the safety and security of the great American nation.

    As we commemorate this epic battle, we honor the memory of the valiant warriors who fought and died to defend the sovereignty of our young Republic.  To this day, the proud legacy of the Battle of Chippawa endures in every Soldier who proudly wears the uniform of the United States of America.

    MIL OSI USA News –